Defense Boom Threatens Construction Shortage

Winnipieg News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jun 26, 2026 · 1m

Manitoba’s construction industry is bracing for a massive workforce crunch as defense projects explode onto the scene, promising hundreds of millions in investment and years of non-stop building — but with nearly 20,000 new workers needed by 2034 and 21% of the current workforce set to retire, the province may have to look outside its borders to fill the gap. Project management roles are especially hard to staff, unions warn against launching too many projects at once, and experts are calling for smarter workforce planning and apprenticeship reforms to keep pace with the boom. Support the…